Gary O’Neil sacked: Pundits views on AFC Bournemouth owner Bill Foley

Despite having achieved his goal of keeping Cherries in the Premier League, with games to spare, O’Neil was relieved of his duties on Monday.

The 40-year-old was swiftly replaced by Spaniard Andoni Iraola, who recently left his role at Rayo Vallecano.

The majority of voices on social media from around the footballing world outside of Cherries expressed their surprise and dissatisfaction at the news.

They included BBC Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker.

The former England striker tweeted: “Ludicrous decision after the excellent job O’Neil has done.”

Speaking on talkSPORT, ex-Arsenal centre-back Martin Keown said: “It seems brutal doesn’t it? When you think of the job he did.

“I’m pretty certain he will be devastated, but he’s given himself a platform where he has demonstrated he can be a very good manager.”

On the flipside, Sky Sports pundit and Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher offered some balance to Bill Foley’s decision to make a change at the top.

He tweeted: “Gary O’Neil did a great job at Bournemouth and you have to feel for him losing his job, but managers change players who did great jobs for them every summer.

“If a manager gets offered a better job he normally leaves, the owner is well within his rights to change the manager if he thinks it’s an upgrade.”